▲ SK Telecom is presenting ‘Integrated In-Vehicle Infotainment’ and ‘Road Learner’, a live HD map update solution at CES 2020.

SK Telecom (NYSE:SKM) today announced that it will participate in CES 2020, which takes place at the Las Vegas Convention Center located in Las Vegas from January 7 to 10, to showcase diverse media and mobility technologies powered by 5G and Mobile Edge Computing (MEC).

SK Telecom will operate a joint exhibition booth with SK Innovation, Korea’s leading energy and chemicals company, SK Hynix, the world’s second-largest memory chipmaker, and SKC, a specialty materials company, in Central Hall (#13529) under the theme of “Evolve Towards the Future.”

5G, marked by super-fast speed, ultra-low latency and hyper connectivity, is bringing remarkable changes to the fields of media and mobility. It is giving birth to unprecedented realistic media contents and services, which will later be connected with TVs and automobiles to deliver a whole new level of experience to consumers.

In the area of media, SK Telecom will introduce diverse media technologies and services including ‘5G-8K TV’, ‘Callar for Sero TV’ (AR video call), ‘5GX Multiview’, ‘Jump AR Aquaworld’ (Interactive cinematic AR), ‘Watch & Play’ (Interactive game platform), and ‘ATSC 3.0 Multiview’.

5G mobile edge computing (MEC), a technology that enables the provision of ultra-low latency services by providing a shortcut for data transmission through the installation of a small-scale data center at 5G base station or router, is essential in realizing not only services that require immediacy like autonomous driving, but also media streaming services including AR and VR. 

SK Telecom and Samsung will unveil the world’s first ‘5G-8K TV’ they have been developing together since September 2019. 5G-8K TV revolutionizes users’ TV-watching experience by directly receiving 8K video over SK Telecom’s 5G network. It can also upgrade the existing full HD and 4K video to 8K video through 8K Upscaling and next-generation codec technologies applied with Network-based Media Processing (NBMP) technology, which manages resources for high-speed processing of large-volume media in MEC and cloud environments. Thus, viewers of 5G-8K TV can enjoy next-generation media services such as 8K multiview broadcasting and AR/VR contents via 5G network.

‘Callar for Sero TV’ is a service created by applying SK Telecom’s AR video call service ‘Callar’ to Samsung Electronics’ ‘Sero TV.’ It offers differentiated features through the application of facial recognition-based augmented reality technology, real-time background and portrait segmentation techniques, and ultra-high definition technology. By linking their smartphones to Sero TV, users can freely rotate TV both horizontally and vertically for a smartphone-like UX, which will allow them to get easily accustomed to using AR video calls on TV.

SK Telecom’s ‘5GX Multiview’ realizes a more immersive and personalized experience for viewers by providing multiple camera angles alongside the main broadcast. While watching a video content, users can select a camera angle to follow every move of their favorite athlete, esports player or band member. 5GX Multiview sets itself apart from the existing multiview services through the application of SK Telecom’s self-developed High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC)-based technology ‘S Tile,’ which can process/encode in real-time multiple video sources into a tile format and synchronizes them to make one multiview video.

Realized through Interactive Cinematic AR, ‘Jump AR Aquaworld’ is a service that enables multiple users to simultaneously enjoy AR contents while interacting with various characters in the virtual underwater environment. Interactive Cinematic AR developed by SK Telecom realizes more realistic AR contents on big screens and enables interaction between users and virtual space objects.

‘Watch and Play’ is a real-time interactive game platform that combines game and broadcasting. Users can not only choose between game-watching and game-playing modes, but also can jump right into playing the game they are watching for a more exciting experience.

‘ATSC 3.0 Multiview’ is a next-generation broadcasting service jointly developed by SK Telecom and Sinclair Broadcast Group. Visitors will be able to watch live streaming of two different broadcasting channels on a single screen while sitting in the automobile cockpit.

SK Telecom will also display diverse mobility technologies and services that will flourish in the 5G era such as ‘Road Learner’ (Live HD map update solution), ‘Next Generation Single Photon LiDAR’, and ‘Integrated In-Vehicle Infotainment’.

SK Telecom’s HD map update solution called ‘Road Learner’ collects and analyzes road/traffic information in real time through sensors installed in cars and artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The company is currently working with the Seoul Metropolitan City Government to build 5G-based autonomous driving infrastructure in Seoul through the application of Road Learner. The company expects Road Learner to play a pivotal role in ensuring that HD maps, the brain of an autonomous vehicle, are kept up to date.

‘Next Generation Single Photon LiDAR’ is a high-performance LiDAR built with 1550 nm wavelength laser, single photon detector and 2D micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) mirror. It is capable of detecting long-range (500-meter distance), low-reflectivity objects with greater accuracy even in adverse weather conditions to ensure the highest level of safety for autonomous vehicles.

The company will also unveil ‘Integrated IVI’, a system it developed by putting together its diverse services into a single system. Integrated IVI offers mobile navigation service T Map, AI platform NUGU, music streaming service Flo, and OTT service Wavve for users to easily enjoy while driving.

SK Telecom stated that it will take CES 2020 as an opportunity to position itself as a global ICT player leading the fields of next-generation media and mobility.